Electric circuit controller



March l, 1932. P, F, DENNlNG "1,847,821

ELECTRI C C IRCUIT CONTROLLER Filed April 18. 1930 dttoz muy:

Patented Mar. 1, 1932 PATENT OFFICE RATR'TCK r. nEnNtNG, or CLEVELAND, omo

ELECTRIC CIRCUIT CoN'rBoLIm Application led- April 18,

This invention y.relates to [circuit controllers which are used principally on automobiles for controllingthe operation of astop light or other similar signal lights. .More

particularly, itv pertains to improvements in a device on which Letters Patent of the United; States, No. 1,729,929, ,were granted to me October 1st,.1929.

Thelobjects of the present inventiongare the provision of improvements in the aforesaid-controller, that lwill add materially to the life-of the device and facilitate the as,- sembly and operation thereof.

Referring now to thek drawings, Fig.' =1

.15 is a longitudinal section through part of a motor vehicle embodying `my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the switch on a larger scale thanl in Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a-vertical section taken on line 3-3 in Fig. 2; Fig. 4-is a ,-520 section taken on the line 4-4lrin Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view through one ofthe contact members;Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the major parts of the switch; Fig. 7 is a section taken through the f 25 movable contact member, andl Figs. 8 and 9 Yare perspective views showing differentsteps in the method of manufacture of the switch shaft.

Referring in detail to the drawings, A` rep- Q0 resents the main sub-frame ofk an automobile, and B a short sectiouof the floor boards. C

is a rear axle, one of the drive wheels being shown at D. The switch comprising my invention is indicated generally atl and may be attached to the floor boards, as shown. The switch may have electrical conductors such as the usual insulated wires 2 and 3, the former cally in Fig. l, and as being grounded ,to` the .14,0 frame at F. The conductor maylead to a signal light Gr at'the rear of the car, one terminal of the signal being grounded to the frame as at H. The switch may becontrolled from the brake pedal indicated'at-J, whichis e 4.5 connected at its lowerv end to abrake conthrough.

1930. Serial No'. 445,510.

trolling rod The rod has a switch controlling part N in the nature of a bracket, vwhich is suitably clamped onto the control Ynected-to the conductor 3.

` The movable conductor is arranged to move into and voutl ofengagement with one of the stationary contacts, when the switch is respectively' operated to the on and olf ositions. Heretofore,the .edge of the mova le contact member which engages the stationary contact members has been turned downwardly and fastened i'nto the block of insulating material on which the' movable contact mem` ber is mounted. Furthermore, a relatively large helical compression springhas been used for urging the movable member axially and toward the Vstationary contact members. Such spring was also used to aid in the returnofthe movable lcontact member when the pressure on the foot pedal was released. The effect of such spring tension has been to wear a groove in the block of insulating material on which the movable member was mounted, thus causing a lshoulder on the movable member to be presented to the stationary member 'at the time of contact. As a result, the movable member quickly became worn I have'overcome the tendency of the movablem'emberto wear in such manner by fas- Yleading to abattery E showndiagrammatitenin'g it to the block 15 of electrica-l insulating material, only at one end 16 and at an intermediate point 17.. The other end 18435 is `free to move toward and away from the block, and asl shown at 19 in Fig. 7, is bent ktoward the block. An aperture 21-in the kblock I- provides an opening into which the end 19 may be mOWClat the moment of, andi strip o't' bar stocklis blanked, `as is showufat .451m Eig-.v8 andfis then passed between 2the during contact. Normally, the spring tension of the metal, of which the movable con.- tact member is made, keeps it slightly away from the tace of the block, as is shown in Fig. 7. v

With this arrangement, the inwardly turned port-ion of the movable contact member provides a ramp or inclined surface which prevents the formation of a shoulder, notwithstanding the fact that a groove may be worn in the block of insulating material.

To assist furthercintheelimination-of wear on thefblock, and on the-:movable wfmember, I make the contact screws 20 hollow and till them with grease or other v plastic lubricating medium, with the'result `that'as the ends of the screws become wormfadditional lubricating material is available for use.

I provide additional ;means;for ;minmn/L ing the wear between the movable and stationary ycontacts by utilizing a relatively large helical compressionspring" 25, `one ent-l oi' which is fastened as vat '26, :to a retaining ypl'ateiQ?, and the other endet-which is p rovided with ahok'QS forengagement @with 'afpost 29.l 'This'relatively large spring is lthus mounted as ,a -unit'upon :the-.retaining Iplatennd can -easily "be `positioned on the shaft 30; Ine-addition, fthe fretainingfplate has anear -31 which -limits rotative :move- 'theqopposit-e direction. "lllhe functionof :the

relativelyY largev spring, therefore, .is merely "toassist in returning theshaftftothe normal --position when pressure is released on the jfoot pedal.

LTO `urge the Ymovable"contacte plate into engagementv with the'stationa'ry contact-members, -I vuse a relatively smallhelical spring .'33, which as 'shownin'FigsB and-r4. lis disposed Lbetween the v1plate '27 and the block :the degree vot' 'ivearbetween the 'relatively movable and stationary contact-members.

lThe switch shaft'is journalled in `theupar'ts "34 and 35 which co-operate 'to'.provide the casing. Such shaftprojects at one end 'beyoud-,the part ,andjissgnared Aas at 40u50 receive a bari 41 which in. turn. is ,connected tothe member N .,a-link42 The shaft is shown as having a flat portion lbetiveen the casing parts while the `plate 27 fand insulating` disc flo-are shown `as,1having.complementary shaped apertures through Vwhich :the flatgportionot the shaft extends;

c To make thel shaft cheaply-and `quickly-,ia

dies whi'chzform the cylindrical parts. 4G and ,6647, las isshownin Fig. 10. This'methodot l'manu-facture obviates -thefnecessityY t'or machining the shaft and provides a simple and practical method of manufacture.

By means of the improvements which I have described and illustrated, I have been able to increase about three fold the life of the switch. Furthermore, I have utilized features which facilitate the manufacture and simplify the assembly thereof.

I claim:

l. An electric circuit controller comprising a hollow'housing, a pair of stationary contacts mounted in ysaid housing, a shaft havingits respective ends lsupportedlby said housing, means disposed outside the housing Atorotatethe shaft, a block of insulating material splined on 'the shaft, a Contact plate :carried-thereby, and adapted to engage one of the stationary contact members continu- :nusl-yfundtoengagethe other contact member selectively, said plate having at least one end 'thereofincline'd towardisaidlblock and frcely 'movable Vwithrelation,thereto, and 'being' attaohedto the; block atan intermediate point whereby :additional contacting surface yis :presented as the blockibecomes Worn'ffduring Q0 buse.

2. :Anaelectric .circuit controller comprising in combination, a hollowi'housingfa pair lolf Y:relatively stationary Aelectrical :contacts car- -ried fthereby, a relatively movable contact member @positioned `Within f the hous'ingand coae'ting-\vitl1 the stationary contactfmembers, said movable member compiiisinga sheet'metal-fplatefmeans foratta'ching the ,plateltothe #liso at a point intermedi-ate therends fof'the $100 plate, ithere ibeing a. disc ofJinslating materialrsupportingthe 1p`late,=said disc fhaving'an opening 'fthereim and said plate having one enditlrereof "extending into-the opening-and `being ffreely r`movable toward and awayffrom 05 fthe 'disc whereby through the -tormation df yla'fdditional 1metal ashoulder aon `the plate is prevented v as the block becomes worn during luse. f

3. Aneleotriccircuitcontroller-comprising *Q10 V4a hollow housing, yrelatively stationary con- Etact 'members carrielfthereby andprojecting into lthe housing, and a relatively movable Vflexible member mounted' within the housing atlea-st oneof the -fstationaryfcontact mem- -bers comprising a threaded 'member havinga hllowrecess, there --being -plasticdubricating material 'disposed' Within'the recess, the recess Jbeing -open `adjacent the lcontacting surface whereby the contactmenibers are progressive- 'ly lubricated asthey become worn 'during use. Y

4f An `.electric circuit controller compris- *ing a #hollow `housing, relatively .stationary Vcontact'members carried-bythe Walls ofthe "housing `and projecting into the Linterior zthereof, a relatively ,movable-flexible Contact nnemb'er positioned lWithin the Ahousing and coacting with fthe stationary Contact mem- -be1-s,la block of insulating material'support- 'stl ing the relatively movable member and having an opening into which one end of the relatively movable member extends, at least one of the relatively stationary Contact members having a hollow interior adapted to receive and hold lubricating material, and bein open on the contacting end thereof where y 1ubrcation between the Contact members is aected as they become progressively worn during use. In testimony whereof, I hereunto ax m signature.

PATRICK F. DENNING. 

